ILO violation 87, 98 : On 17 October, workers affiliated to the SINALTRAINAL trade union at the Nestlé factory in Colombia, denounced the management’s harassment of workers and persecution of trade unionists. The plant managers initiated a campaign of harassment and trade union repression following the signing of a collective agreement (September 2006). They fired two of the trade union members and have placed all SINALTRAINAL workers on the same shift, discriminating against them and isolating them from the rest of the workers.: Colombia

ITUC-CSI

2007

-350

Internal restructuring: Nestle cuts 350 jobs at its headquarters for France, in Noisiel, near Paris, on a payroll of 950 people. "Anticipate retirements and relocations" will be offered to the employees.: France

United States of America brand: Poland Spring : Poland Springs, a Maine based Nestlé brand of bottled water, does not come from “deep in the woods of Maine; is not naturally purified, is not, “spring water”; and even, that the water is not safe to drink as it advertises. In 2003, a total of 12 class-action lawsuits were filed in the United States. The suits allege that Nestlé uses heavily treated water from common ground sources but then labels the bottles as spring water. In November 2003, a judge in Illinois approved of a $12 million settlement in one of the class-action suits.

Polaris Institute

2002

France brand: Golden Grahams : Production, purchase or sale of genetically modified organisms which may cause an irreversible genetic pollution, a destruction of the biodiversity and health risks for the consumers.

60 millions de consommateurs

2002

France brand: Friskies : Production, purchase or sale of genetically modified organisms which may cause an irreversible genetic pollution, a destruction of the biodiversity and health risks for the consumers.

United States of America brand: Nestlé : Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation filed a lawsuit against Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) asking the company to halt production at the Ice Mountain Spring Water Co. in Mecosta Township claiming. The lawsuit claimed the plant’s pumping of water would lower lake and stream levels near the wells from which the company draws water. In November 2003, the judge in the case ordered NWNA to stop drawing water saying that the operation diminishes the flow and level of streams and lakes.

Côte d'Ivoire : Sued for forced child labor by the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF) on behalf of three Malian children who were allegedly trafficked to work on plantations in Ivory Coast. “It is unconscionable that Nestle, ADM and Cargill have ignored repeated and well-documented warnings over the past several years that the farms they were using to grow cocoa employed child slave laborers. We had to go to court as a last resort,” said ILRF attorney.

Novis

1945

“It is either certain or it may be assumed that some corporations of the Nestlé Group that were active in countries controlled by the National-Socialist regime employed forced laborers.” Nestlé's statement. Nestlé donated $14.1 million towards the slave labour settlement approved by US judge Edward E. Korman.

26 Italian pasta makers were fined 12,5 million euro for 'putting into place an agreement restricting competition in order to decide together on increasing the prices for the sale of pasta,' according to the italian anti-trust authority.

&nbsp

2007

6,6

&nbsp

billion Eu€

2007

15

billion Eu€

Les Echos

2006

60,5

5,7

&nbsp

billion Eu€

2006

Nestlé Portugal has been fined 1 million euros for having de facto imposed in its coffee contracts with cafes, hotels and restaurants, a clause of exclusive purchase of more thant five years, "causing a limited competition in the coffee supply contracts" according to the Portugal competition authority (PCA). The customers committed themselves to buy exclusively Nestlé's coffee for five years. But at the end of this period "if it had not bought an obligatory minimum quantity, the customer was obliged to prolong the contract or pay such a penalty that it dissuaded it to denounce the contract". These practices made it impossible to switch to another coffee supplier, says the PCA, which recalls that the European Community legislation forbids excusive sales for more than 5 years.

&nbsp

AFP

2005

7,46

billion Eu€

Reuters

2004

Has repeatedly breached Bulgarian anti-trust legislation with the promotion of games. The most recent breach in 2004 came when the company organized two promotion games where customers had to collect logos of Nestlé products to participate in a draw for two luxury cars. Bulgaria’s Protection of Competition Act bans the promotion of sales by offering prizes that exceed the value of the product.

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Polaris Institute

2004

Accused of uncompetitive practices in Camerun.

&nbsp

All Africa

2004

57,6

4,07

&nbsp

billion Eu€

2002

«Dead peasant insurance»: secretly bought life insurance on employees with the company as beneficiary for investment and tax purposes: tax-free investment income, tax deductions on interest paid on loans against the policy, tax free death benefits.

&nbsp

Wall Street Journal

2002

64,26

5,45

&nbsp

billion US$

2001

50,62

3,99

&nbsp

billion US$

2000

Was among a group of baby milk suppliers fined for violating their agreement to sell only in pharmacies and not in super markets. In July 2004, Italy’s anti-trust body launched an investigation into 15 baby milk producers, including Nestlé

Spying: Nestlé hired Securitas to spy the altermondialist NGO ATTAC. The Vaud local group of ATTAC, which prepared a book on Nestlé, was infiltrated by an employee of Securitas for at least a year. The latter had access to the documentation of the ONG and took part in the meetings and conferences, under a false name. " She refused categorically to appear on the photographs published in the press", activists said. Before continuing: " but it was its choice and that did not seem to us particularly suspicious". The Vaud police force knew that Securitas had infiltrated altermondialists groups, but it did not considered to be illegal. But according to the Genevese lawyer Me Jamil Soussi, collecting personal data (political affiliation, schemes etc.) on activists is an violation of the law and is a penal offence. Nestlé confirms hiring Securitas, at the time of G8, to take various measures to ensure its safety as it felt threatened. ATTAC should sue Nestlé.:

Arguable partnership: Technical University of Munich and the Nestlé Research Centre have collaborated on research dealing with edible fats and oils.: value: Science;

Polaris Institute

2004

Arguable partnership: Signed on as a senior research partner with the Cornell School of Hotel Administration’s Center for Hospitality Research. Elaine Wedral, Vice President of the Nestlé Product Technology Center in Connecticut, sits on the advisory board at the Center for Hospitality Research. The School of Hotel Administration’s library, is named the Nestlé Library.: value: Science;

Arguable partnership: The University of York and Nestlé founded Biosciences York, a group that conducts research in the fields of health sciences, food sciences, plant biotech and drug development. Nestlé UK gave money in 2001 to the University for the upgrade of two lecture halls. One of the halls was renamed Henri Nestlé Lecture Theatre.: value: Science;